Business View Caribbean l Feb 2023

113 114 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2 and listed companies, both of whom, despite the pandemic, have weathered the storm and continue to bring value to the stock exchange. Business View Magazine: As we wrap up our conversation, we’re entering a new calendar year. Can you give us any new or planned initiatives that you’re looking at and the JSE’s blueprint for 2023? Dr. Marlene Street-Forrest: Let me start by highlighting some of the things we accomplished in 2022. First, we launched the Caribbean Business Exchange, a television station intended to communicate more with all our stakeholders and which is available on Channel 28 for Digicel and Flow 143. We also launched direct market access and upgraded our website and online trading platform. We also launched a new customer service platform that digitizes most of our information and gives clients direct access, so they don’t have to contact us. They can go online and get all the information they need. In 2023, we will continue expanding direct market access by launching a platform for trading government and green bonds. Finally, we will launch a short-selling facility and a digital asset platform. We plan to roll out these initiatives throughout the year, kicking off with our annual regional conference, the 18th Annual JSE Investments and Capital Markets Conference, held from January 24th to 26th. All these initiatives will continue enhancing the JSE’s market resilience by making it one of the most innovative and reliable markets globally. PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n Cumax Wealth Management LTD www.cumaxwealth.com n GraceKennedy Financial Group www.gracekennedy.com JAMA I CA STOCK EXCHANGE These inflationary effects impact every market, not only in Jamaica. Nevertheless, our surveys indicate business and consumer confidence are up as markets rebound post-pandemic. Confidence is especially crucial because it propels businesses to want to come to the market to raise capital, which has the knock-on effect of attracting investors interested in getting back into the market. We are optimistic these effects will trigger more activity in the market because investors holding positions is not the best position for markets. We want to see a conversion of holding positions to active market participation, which will buoy the Jamaica Stock Exchange. Business View Magazine: It’s impressive to see how resilient the JSE is despite these inflationary pressures. At this point, can you highlight some of the key partners you work with that ensure the smooth running of the stock exchange? Dr. Marlene Street-Forrest: One factor behind our resilience is the systems we operate. One of our critical systems is the Nasdaq trading platform and matching engine. We have had the complete support of that company throughout the pandemic. We also have Jamaica’s government working to ensure an economic base to support the JSE. Our recovery in Jamaica has been enviable compared to several regional and global countries. Another critical partner of the JSE is the Financial Services Commission, which ensures continued transparency in the marketplace, underpinning investors’ confidence in investing in the stock market. I’d also like to mention our own regulatory and market oversight division that has kept pace with all the necessary regulations alongside our data privacy and cybersecurity partners, who continue to support the JSE as we look at more ways to utilize technology to drive growth. Most importantly, I’d like to recognize the brokers